The Blog
Last blog published in October 2017.
For more recent articles, visit The Tisserand Institute.
Tea tree oil and biofilms
One of the outstanding properties of many essential oils, including tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), is that they can be effective even against bacterial biofilms. A biofilm is a layered matrix, consisting mainly of polysaccharide and protein, that bacteria or fungi...
Book review: The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple
At almost 850 pages, there's plenty of reading here. Unfortunately, this book is replete with errors. There are innumerable mis-spellings of the names of chemicals. Terpinen-4-ol is an alcohol, not a phenol, and bergamotene is a terpene, not a furanocoumarin. On page...
Essential oil label guideline
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) announced on August 2nd that it has created a new guidance policy for the labeling of essential oils sold for topical use and offered for retail trade. The AHPA board of trustees adopted the guidance at its recent July...
Aromatherapy: the big picture
In September 2010 I gave two presentations at an IFA conference in Tokyo. One of them was called: Forty years of aromatherapy evolution: 1970-2010. There were 475 attendees, and I suspect this was the largest aromatherapy conference ever held. You can see some photos...
Tea tree & cloth diapers
Mr. Tisserand, I am a Real Diaper Circle Leader with the Real Diaper Association (a not-for-profit organization). I lead the Ventura County chapter here locally where I donate my time to teach cloth diapering 101 classes as well as support the local cloth diapering...
Hygienic massage with essential oils
Human skin carries some 900 species of bacteria, and when one person massages another, a two-way microbial exchange takes place. I'm not suggesting that there is significant risk here, and shaking hands with another person is no less risky. But, thorough hand-washing...
Ingredient obsession
I am not against transparency in labeling. I think it’s a subject that could use a lot of discussion. But I am against ingredient obsession. In a society that allows alcohol, tobacco and firearms to be freely purchased, and that turns a blind eye to the widespread use...
Wintergreen oil safety
Hello Robert, I’d like to ask your opinion if I may. Recently I’ve had a western herbologist join my business and I am finding discussions with him to be very enlightening as well as confusing in a way. For instance, we were talking about wintergreen and how it is...
Interaction with SSRI medication?
Dear Mr. Tisserand, I was treating a young woman with back pain recently. This young woman is on selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) type of anti-depressant medication. Because her pain was acute I used a 10% blend on the specific site of pain that included...